. >> mickey lee has become one of the most decorated martial artists in the country.n elementary school mickey lee was an overweight kid and an easy target for bullies. he tried getting involved in different types of sports, but nothing clicked until he was introduced to martial arts. that's when his body and his life started to change and the bullies backed away. >> after starting to learn martial arts i stopped getting bullied. i got a lot more physically fit and very self-confident. >> reporter: mickey's mom melanie saw how much fun her son was having, so she decided to give the sport a try, too. >> makes me feel young, stay young. so i would say growing young. >> reporter: now the two turned their passion into a career teaching others at coles martial arts academy in bethesda. >> martial arts you can use for self-defense. you can practice. you can compete. >> reporter: when he's not in the studio, mickey is competing all over the world. he was recently featured on espn at the international sport karate association world championship and just last month named world

one of my predecessors, mickey lee land, who don payne knew, died on the side of an ethiopian mountain trying to feed others. but don payne was everything from ethiopia and everywhere. he was in all of those, if you will, conflicts, where you wanted to bring about peace. he counseled presidents, republicans and democrats. i remember bill clinton's historic trip. i can be assured that donald payne was at the nexus of drawing him on that trip, and counseled others like george bush and president obama. i don't know if many of you know, but don pain was a long shoreman and worked in many places. but he is reminded of his work as a long shoreman and said i love the port, and i heard a member talk about that, i believe, but he loved the working person. let me conclude as i salute him for being the progressive who did not forget the poor and as well could speak eloquently with the leaders of international positions around the world, albeit he was coach, teacher, council member and ethics freeholder. i remember traveling to africa on occasions, plural, but in this instance what i would say bey

mickey callahan. [applause] >> i am sorry not to be ed lee. i did not have enough time to grow a mustache. i pass along to you the mayor's regret at not being here tonight. he is a strong supporter of this program. he is very familiar with the incredible work that spur does with the city, because of his work as a city administrativor,a lot of us from his vantage point of the mayor's office. i would like to recognize the department heads and elected officials. i know i've seen some of you here. thank you for coming out to support the fund workover our city employees. it is a privilege to me in particular to be here because i have had the opportunity for the last several years to be on the selection committee for the good government awards. it is really a treat. as a human-resources director, i get a lot of bad news. some of that gets in the newspaper. with all due respect to our brethren in the press, it's always a good story to write about bad behavior that may happen in a city department or that a public employee may have engaged in. we are the largest employer in san francisco. it is onl